Regularising of Tattoo businesses

Government is planning to regularise tattoo businesses in Grenada as part of efforts to protect citizens against possible contraction of diseases.

Speaking to reporters at the post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of Health, Nikolas Steele said that this was one of the decisions taken at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

According to Minister Steele, this business operation falls under the Allied Act and government intends to make amendments to the act to facilitate the regularising of tattoo parlours.

The senior government minister told reporters that the biggest concern of the ruling New National Party (NNP) administration is the sanitisation of the tools used in carrying out the job of tattooing.

“Specific importance to us as Government is the cleanly and proper use of the various tools … as you know you can transmit HIV or Hepatitis through the needles if they are not properly cleaned or if they are not properly used,” he said.
Steele said he is not aware of any citizen in Grenada getting infected with any disease through the use of tattoo needles but Government is just seeking to prevent it.

“We are passing this regulation to be proactive. We do recognise an increase presence of tattoo parlours in Grenada and as such we feel it is necessary to regulate and to ensure that the public’s interest at large is sought,” he remarked.

The minister cited one problem in the tattoo business as relating to the number of under-aged children receiving tattoo’ and with government moving to regularise the industry, the proposed amendments will seek to fix that particular problem to some extent.

He dropped hints that the proposed amendments will look at the possibility of ensuring that minors have permission from their guardians or parent to put on a tattoo.

“…As you know in most cases, a tattoo is a lifelong thing that stays with you so those are the areas that we will be looking at to ensure that there is proper regulation for enforcement,” Steele said.